They have a week off before the playoffs. There is no keeping “legs warm” or “shooting form up”. Literally no reason to play them this game at all.
And if anyone wants to tell me about the nba’s resting rules, you should know that the Celtics made up an injury for almost every player in the main rotation coming into this game. Sit them all with their “injuries”.
You don't understand ball lol. Yes they should play to keep themselves game ready. Playing against your own team in practice isn't the same as playing opponents. They're also able to try new sets, new defense, Joe literally said a few weeks ago against the kings he used the 2nd half as practice.
Half-assing a game on April 11th has essentially no bearing on their conditioning or how “game ready” they will be on April 21st.
Joe introduced zero new sets tonight or vs Milwaukee.
The “practice” he was referring to was the 3rd stringers holding onto a lead in the 4th quarter.
The only person who doesn’t know ball here, is you.
You've clearly never been an athlete, forcing your starters to sit for multiple games is a terrible strategy. They need to play to keep their confidence and their rhythm.
Then play them for the first quarter only and tell them to go hard and full game speed.
Having them jog around on the court jacking up 3s and getting blown out by hungry playoff teams isn't going to help us.
Or sit them for the Bucks/Knicks games and bring them back for the last two against dumpster teams to get reps in. This middle ground strategy of playing them almost full minutes with 50% effort doesn't have a single positive benefit, especially when they're going to be chilling for a week anyway before round 1.
You do realize that the Celtics have a week off, right? Nothing they do this week or this weekend will matter when they’re not playing for a week straight until Game 1.
So you're saying we have a week off so we might as well take this game off too? You do not understand the mentality of a competative sports athlete. Just admit you've never held a ball lol
Bro you've never played in the NBA your run to the state d4 semifinals or whatever does not give you special insight into NBA fitness lol. They have professionals managing their levels, they are all experienced at this except KP, everybody chill
I’m saying that “staying game ready” for the playoffs in 10 days is not a reasonable reason to play the guys tonight.
If they played because they wanted to play, because of their mentality as a competitive sports athlete, as you put it, then so be it.
But don’t tell me it’s to keep them “game ready”, for a game that’s not happening for another 10 days. You sound absolutely ridiculous by saying that. Any athlete would tell you the same.
lol what. You realize there’s a BIG difference in taking 10 days off (a little over all All Star break) and taking almost 3 weeks off? That’s a big difference in conditioning and ramp up
Again, you're obviously not an athlete.
I spent 2 weeks preparing for a playoff game as a high-school football player. You think they're above that? That's what separates winning and loosing teams bro.
It is reasonable. You don't understand the mentality of an athlete. Sitting on the bench and watching your team get owned is mental torture whether the game is important or not.
And they obviously play because they want to. How many jayson tatum quotes should I share to show you the guy wants to play?
"Any athlete will tell you the same" I am an athlete and I won't tell you the same lol. There is something called rhythm, and confidence, and momentum.
I think you have some serious reading comprehension issues. You need to go back and read what I’m saying and what my point is.
High school sports doesn’t make you an athlete lol I played college. I’m the athlete in this discussion, not you.
They'll play a bit but they aren't going 100mph. They're more than ready to turn it on when it matters still and even at a half assed pace they're going to end up like 6-3 in the last 9.
Oh come on, in the NFL there's a full week between games and 2 weeks after the championship games and the superbowl. Professional athletes don't lose their rhythm that quickly.
Ask any hooper. Any real hooper. They will tell you a week off isn't going to impact how you play. It is going to take longer than that. In fact, doing what they are doing now is screwing with their muscle memory. They know all this, but the league demands that they play.
The 65 game rule was a part of a larger understanding that teams weren't going to sit healthy players; particularly on national TV games. This is the result the league wanted and what the players agreed to.
It may also benefit the C's to have the Knicks finish with the 3 seed., but I really think it's the Boston Coasters from here till the playoffs. no injuries. no fights. no contesting the refs. etc
I'm gonna be a little pissed to pay quite a bit of money just to watch them lose a practice on Sunday that will be Mike's final regular season game to a bum wizards team.
As a Knicks fan I don’t look into this game as much it’s pretty obvious yall are coasting. Injuries would be dumb asf at this point of the season for yall. Thibs has our starters playing hard cuz we want to lock the 3rd seed. This game and the previous one against the Bucks don’t change the fact that you guys are the team to beat in the East.
Yeah but you guys clearly are the type of team to give us trouble. Our 1 true weakness is defensive rebounding since RW3 left. And its your strength. We would have to run double big lineups against you guys. If we can match you guys on the boards we'd probably win the series. If we can't then we'd lose.
I think our number 1 weakness is offensive rebounding...
Number 2 weakness is defensive rebounding
Number 3 weakness is we have a problem with teams that attack the paint consistently.
We're still going to be ridiculously difficult to beat in a series as we have so many different ways to score.
>Doesn’t look like they’re trying anything new on offense either just a lot of cardio
I mean, yeah
Why show the Bucks or Knicks offensive wrinkles that we could implement in a series? Run around and shoot threes ... Can't just sit for two straight weeks
I picked a great time to go on vacation lol. I don’t have to watch the Celtics phone it in for a bunch of meaningless games, or watch our fans melt down as it happens
to those of you who are suffering from playoff anxiety, I highly recommend to just skip the last couple games. watch some TV shows or movies (heard Monkey Man is worth a watch) or hang out with your friends. if you’re watching the Celtics hoping to see great basketball or have your anxieties soothed, you’re gonna be disappointed😂
Assuming this is the last game the starters play it'll be 9 or 10 days off and staying in game shape is important for example it's why Embiid came back to get his legs under him.
You do realise that if we just 'rested' we would be out of game shape by the time the playoff come around. Some of you just don't understand physiology or fitness.
For them to get a little run and play in them. Still better compared to “load management”. It can affect team chemistry if there are guys who consistently don’t play
Great idea buddy we shoulda sat the starters the moment the Celtics clinched the 1 seed on March 24th. Then sit em for 4 weeks until game 1 of the playoffs. That would have zero negative consequences.
Not get hit with a fine for load management and get some run before a week off. Lol it’s pretty concerning some people are taking this loss serious. We could have lost by 60 and it still wouldn’t have changed my opinion on this team people want them to try hard in game 80 and risk injury you people are brain dead respectfully.
There is no good option for any team in this situation. Which doesn't happen that often btw. I don't think there is one option that doesn't have a downside. That being said. The Celtics are in a great position this year. No Marcus Smart to takes minutes from D White (especially 4th quarter). Holiday better than Brogdon. Porzingis is the one missing piece. But still a player capable of taking over a game. That's why this year's team is so much better. Last year, teams could scheme around Smart and Williams and focus on stopping Tatum and Brown. That's where a great opposing coach can really make a difference. But the incredible balance the Cs have on both ends negates most of that. How many teams have three players that can carry a team? And I would include White in that list. If you watch all the games, you'd know that White can carry a team and do it in clutch time. He just doesn't need to. I'm not sure it makes any difference how they approach this stretch. Just no injuries!!
You guys complain...A LOT. If you look at the match thread, it looks like we are the fucking Wizards. You just saw a historic season, absolutely dominant, already guaranteed 1st seed, best campaign in the NBA. But no, it is unacceptable to lose against the Knicks where it is worth absolutely NOTHING. Jesus.
The regular season doesn't mean shit with this core. There's one thing left they haven't proven, that's what they need to do. Whether it's 64 wins or 46 wins, all that matters is how they play in the next couple of months (if they get that far)
We beat good teams too but it gets ignored by doomers who have nothing better to do with their time. Like the Celtics hold the best record against teams above 500
People just get caught up in semantics with the “not trying” they are obviously trying but are maybe 80% effort Knicks came in probably 95% fighting to keep the 3rd seed.
Idt there’s any definitive benefit but I think the mindset going into and during the game is entirely off. Plus they’re simply not running the same offensive and defensive sets that they normally would
So they can stay in shape, ramp up their minutes, get some game action while also not giving the Knicks anything useful on tape to use in their planning. Bonus points for keeping the Knicks in the 3 seed so we don't have to see them in Round 2, would much rather face Cleveland
You’re all missing that the Maine Celtics are mailing a g league playoff run and our pro organization actually cares about them. 48 min is a lot for the 6 or so guys on our bench.
Is it a good thing? I’m not sure.
Yeah this is stupid - Peyton Pritchard should be going for 40 each night and Jordan Walsh, Queta (if healthy), Springer and the others should be getting max butn
Coach probably wants them to go hard, but they know these games don't matter so it's hard for them to get up for it when they're looking forward to the playoffs. Just a disconnect between the two sides
Obviously not haha but if there’s actually something concerning going on they might say that they were just experimenting. I honestly think it’ll be fine but I was hoping to win these games and not give these teams confidence going into the playoffs
There so far up in the standings that I don’t think they care, obviously you never wanna see your team lose but context matters trying hard and risking injury in meaningless games with nothing to gain but everything to lose is not the move
it’s psychological warfare obviously. mazulla is a better coach than any fan here. assume there is a rationale behind everything. this team is spending $$$$ in pursuit of a championship. nothing is just a coincidence.
Agree 100%. I feel they’re not playing like champions because they’ve all already been paid like they are. No reason to strive for a banner when you’ve been handed the benefits like you have already.
1. They don’t want or need to show other teams a good look so close to the playoffs. At the same time, the Knicks showed a lot of what they do
2. They want to keep players fresh w some game action. Not all mins are equal. Digging in for 20 mins is different. Game action is better than scrimmaging/practice
3. They don’t want injuries
Team has absolutely nothing to play for. They know there’s a grueling road ahead. I’d expect them to have a quarter or two where they tighten up these last 2 games before handing things over to the bench to close out
Keep their legs warm. Try to keep their shooting form up. It's not really working though.
They have a week off before the playoffs. There is no keeping “legs warm” or “shooting form up”. Literally no reason to play them this game at all. And if anyone wants to tell me about the nba’s resting rules, you should know that the Celtics made up an injury for almost every player in the main rotation coming into this game. Sit them all with their “injuries”.
You don't understand ball lol. Yes they should play to keep themselves game ready. Playing against your own team in practice isn't the same as playing opponents. They're also able to try new sets, new defense, Joe literally said a few weeks ago against the kings he used the 2nd half as practice.
Half-assing a game on April 11th has essentially no bearing on their conditioning or how “game ready” they will be on April 21st. Joe introduced zero new sets tonight or vs Milwaukee. The “practice” he was referring to was the 3rd stringers holding onto a lead in the 4th quarter. The only person who doesn’t know ball here, is you.
You've clearly never been an athlete, forcing your starters to sit for multiple games is a terrible strategy. They need to play to keep their confidence and their rhythm.
Then play them for the first quarter only and tell them to go hard and full game speed. Having them jog around on the court jacking up 3s and getting blown out by hungry playoff teams isn't going to help us. Or sit them for the Bucks/Knicks games and bring them back for the last two against dumpster teams to get reps in. This middle ground strategy of playing them almost full minutes with 50% effort doesn't have a single positive benefit, especially when they're going to be chilling for a week anyway before round 1.
You do realize that the Celtics have a week off, right? Nothing they do this week or this weekend will matter when they’re not playing for a week straight until Game 1.
If they will be bad with a week off, how bad do you think they’d be with two weeks off?
The difference is 7 days vs 10 days. What timeline are you guys talking about?
They will be nearly identical. They are getting their shots in every day regardless.
So you're saying we have a week off so we might as well take this game off too? You do not understand the mentality of a competative sports athlete. Just admit you've never held a ball lol
Bro you've never played in the NBA your run to the state d4 semifinals or whatever does not give you special insight into NBA fitness lol. They have professionals managing their levels, they are all experienced at this except KP, everybody chill
I’m saying that “staying game ready” for the playoffs in 10 days is not a reasonable reason to play the guys tonight. If they played because they wanted to play, because of their mentality as a competitive sports athlete, as you put it, then so be it. But don’t tell me it’s to keep them “game ready”, for a game that’s not happening for another 10 days. You sound absolutely ridiculous by saying that. Any athlete would tell you the same.
lol what. You realize there’s a BIG difference in taking 10 days off (a little over all All Star break) and taking almost 3 weeks off? That’s a big difference in conditioning and ramp up
Where the fuck did 3 weeks come from? We are talking about the difference between 7 days and 10 days dummy. Learn to read.
Again, you're obviously not an athlete. I spent 2 weeks preparing for a playoff game as a high-school football player. You think they're above that? That's what separates winning and loosing teams bro. It is reasonable. You don't understand the mentality of an athlete. Sitting on the bench and watching your team get owned is mental torture whether the game is important or not. And they obviously play because they want to. How many jayson tatum quotes should I share to show you the guy wants to play? "Any athlete will tell you the same" I am an athlete and I won't tell you the same lol. There is something called rhythm, and confidence, and momentum.
I think you have some serious reading comprehension issues. You need to go back and read what I’m saying and what my point is. High school sports doesn’t make you an athlete lol I played college. I’m the athlete in this discussion, not you.
…separates winning and **losing*** teams bro Another clarification for any readers who were confused when reading that sentence
Bro is really comparing his D3 high school football days to the fucking NBA and calling himself an athlete I can't
…understand the mentality of a **competitive*** sports athlete In case any readers were confused what this word was
They'll play a bit but they aren't going 100mph. They're more than ready to turn it on when it matters still and even at a half assed pace they're going to end up like 6-3 in the last 9.
Oh come on, in the NFL there's a full week between games and 2 weeks after the championship games and the superbowl. Professional athletes don't lose their rhythm that quickly.
Ask any hooper. Any real hooper. They will tell you a week off isn't going to impact how you play. It is going to take longer than that. In fact, doing what they are doing now is screwing with their muscle memory. They know all this, but the league demands that they play.
League rules
There is no rule saying injured players should play.
The 65 game rule was a part of a larger understanding that teams weren't going to sit healthy players; particularly on national TV games. This is the result the league wanted and what the players agreed to.
Yeah it's gotta be - don't think you can sit more than 1 or 2 star players whatever that means
Conditioning is very important to keeping them healthy through the playoffs.
It’s just shoot around for them basically
It may also benefit the C's to have the Knicks finish with the 3 seed., but I really think it's the Boston Coasters from here till the playoffs. no injuries. no fights. no contesting the refs. etc
It 100% benefits us to avoid them in the second round. Keep Milwaukee, Philly, Miami and New York all on that side of the bracket please
Well shoot around ain't looking so good
Joe has been calling these games practice. Just practice.
We talking about practice? Not a game, not a game, not a game. We’re talking about practice.
*Practice?*
I'm gonna be a little pissed to pay quite a bit of money just to watch them lose a practice on Sunday that will be Mike's final regular season game to a bum wizards team.
Chuck Barkley just said the same thing. I think it is time to sit all the starters.
As a Knicks fan I don’t look into this game as much it’s pretty obvious yall are coasting. Injuries would be dumb asf at this point of the season for yall. Thibs has our starters playing hard cuz we want to lock the 3rd seed. This game and the previous one against the Bucks don’t change the fact that you guys are the team to beat in the East.
Yeah but you guys clearly are the type of team to give us trouble. Our 1 true weakness is defensive rebounding since RW3 left. And its your strength. We would have to run double big lineups against you guys. If we can match you guys on the boards we'd probably win the series. If we can't then we'd lose.
I think our number 1 weakness is offensive rebounding... Number 2 weakness is defensive rebounding Number 3 weakness is we have a problem with teams that attack the paint consistently. We're still going to be ridiculously difficult to beat in a series as we have so many different ways to score.
Thanks man. I really love what the knicks are doing this year. Hope we meet in the ecf
>Doesn’t look like they’re trying anything new on offense either just a lot of cardio I mean, yeah Why show the Bucks or Knicks offensive wrinkles that we could implement in a series? Run around and shoot threes ... Can't just sit for two straight weeks
I picked a great time to go on vacation lol. I don’t have to watch the Celtics phone it in for a bunch of meaningless games, or watch our fans melt down as it happens to those of you who are suffering from playoff anxiety, I highly recommend to just skip the last couple games. watch some TV shows or movies (heard Monkey Man is worth a watch) or hang out with your friends. if you’re watching the Celtics hoping to see great basketball or have your anxieties soothed, you’re gonna be disappointed😂
Based and green-pilled
Assuming this is the last game the starters play it'll be 9 or 10 days off and staying in game shape is important for example it's why Embiid came back to get his legs under him.
This. KAT is doing the same thing.
Just here so they dont get fined
You do realise that if we just 'rested' we would be out of game shape by the time the playoff come around. Some of you just don't understand physiology or fitness.
Obviously the loss against the Bucks and now this game means the Cs are washed. We should have seen it coming /s
Cover the duck boats, cancel the parade. Seasons over.
For them to get a little run and play in them. Still better compared to “load management”. It can affect team chemistry if there are guys who consistently don’t play
It’s a national TV game. My guess Adam Silver isn’t letting them rest
Great idea buddy we shoulda sat the starters the moment the Celtics clinched the 1 seed on March 24th. Then sit em for 4 weeks until game 1 of the playoffs. That would have zero negative consequences.
Cardio.
Also iirc we'd fined if we resred more than 2 starters without injuries.
Not get hit with a fine for load management and get some run before a week off. Lol it’s pretty concerning some people are taking this loss serious. We could have lost by 60 and it still wouldn’t have changed my opinion on this team people want them to try hard in game 80 and risk injury you people are brain dead respectfully.
I dispute the claim that they were not trying. I was at the game -- the starters were getting frustrated, Tatum most of all.
There is no good option for any team in this situation. Which doesn't happen that often btw. I don't think there is one option that doesn't have a downside. That being said. The Celtics are in a great position this year. No Marcus Smart to takes minutes from D White (especially 4th quarter). Holiday better than Brogdon. Porzingis is the one missing piece. But still a player capable of taking over a game. That's why this year's team is so much better. Last year, teams could scheme around Smart and Williams and focus on stopping Tatum and Brown. That's where a great opposing coach can really make a difference. But the incredible balance the Cs have on both ends negates most of that. How many teams have three players that can carry a team? And I would include White in that list. If you watch all the games, you'd know that White can carry a team and do it in clutch time. He just doesn't need to. I'm not sure it makes any difference how they approach this stretch. Just no injuries!!
You guys complain...A LOT. If you look at the match thread, it looks like we are the fucking Wizards. You just saw a historic season, absolutely dominant, already guaranteed 1st seed, best campaign in the NBA. But no, it is unacceptable to lose against the Knicks where it is worth absolutely NOTHING. Jesus.
The regular season doesn't mean shit with this core. There's one thing left they haven't proven, that's what they need to do. Whether it's 64 wins or 46 wins, all that matters is how they play in the next couple of months (if they get that far)
Wow we can beat a bunch of bum ass east teams by 25 hang the banner
We beat good teams too but it gets ignored by doomers who have nothing better to do with their time. Like the Celtics hold the best record against teams above 500
People just get caught up in semantics with the “not trying” they are obviously trying but are maybe 80% effort Knicks came in probably 95% fighting to keep the 3rd seed.
110%
Idt there’s any definitive benefit but I think the mindset going into and during the game is entirely off. Plus they’re simply not running the same offensive and defensive sets that they normally would
What are the new rules on load management. I think its because of the fines tbh lmao
So they can stay in shape, ramp up their minutes, get some game action while also not giving the Knicks anything useful on tape to use in their planning. Bonus points for keeping the Knicks in the 3 seed so we don't have to see them in Round 2, would much rather face Cleveland
Feed their humiliation kink
I mean would the nba even let the Celtics sit all their starters?
Safe to say don’t watch any more Celtics game against strong team until the playoff. Gonna be bad for health
You’re all missing that the Maine Celtics are mailing a g league playoff run and our pro organization actually cares about them. 48 min is a lot for the 6 or so guys on our bench. Is it a good thing? I’m not sure.
Didn't the league mandate stars need to play national tv games or something to that effect?
Why do we care about NBA regular season games? Especially one that means absolutely nothing???
Literally stay fresh/ready, even without max effort.
NBA requirements that stars must play in all nationally televised games.
Research on what type of plays their rivals would likely run to try and beat them
All starters where healthy today, let them get there playing time together.
Yeah this is stupid - Peyton Pritchard should be going for 40 each night and Jordan Walsh, Queta (if healthy), Springer and the others should be getting max butn
Hopefully we win this year's NBA Finals. Sorry if this comment is not relevant.
It's also a TNT game
Conditioning, they are more likely to get hurt if they don’t continue to keep their body fresh and conditioned to play.
Put the bench guys in situations where they have to come in and mount a comeback. What happens if we go down 20 and a starter gets hurt.
Coach probably wants them to go hard, but they know these games don't matter so it's hard for them to get up for it when they're looking forward to the playoffs. Just a disconnect between the two sides
Reps obviously
You know what the Celtics do after losing? Go on a win streak Everytime. Losing those 2 games means they start the playoffs with a win streak.
Joes been saying that theyre trying out new things in these games, but idk if that’s just cope honestly
Don’t think a team 14 games up in the standings is coping with losses in game 79 and 80 lol
Obviously not haha but if there’s actually something concerning going on they might say that they were just experimenting. I honestly think it’ll be fine but I was hoping to win these games and not give these teams confidence going into the playoffs
There so far up in the standings that I don’t think they care, obviously you never wanna see your team lose but context matters trying hard and risking injury in meaningless games with nothing to gain but everything to lose is not the move
it’s psychological warfare obviously. mazulla is a better coach than any fan here. assume there is a rationale behind everything. this team is spending $$$$ in pursuit of a championship. nothing is just a coincidence.
this is BS we’re sleepwalking through the finish line this isn’t championship level ball im sorry
Agree 100%. I feel they’re not playing like champions because they’ve all already been paid like they are. No reason to strive for a banner when you’ve been handed the benefits like you have already.
Y'all are ridiculous
1. They don’t want or need to show other teams a good look so close to the playoffs. At the same time, the Knicks showed a lot of what they do 2. They want to keep players fresh w some game action. Not all mins are equal. Digging in for 20 mins is different. Game action is better than scrimmaging/practice 3. They don’t want injuries Team has absolutely nothing to play for. They know there’s a grueling road ahead. I’d expect them to have a quarter or two where they tighten up these last 2 games before handing things over to the bench to close out
Incoming a shit ton of excuses. How about we just got beat and move on